Oracle heads back to court against Google; net neutrality supporters won’t back down

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Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, speaks during the New Economy Summit 2014 in Tokyo in this April 9, 2014 file photo. Oracle has started the process of appealing a loss to Google in a court case involving the use of Java in Google’s Android operating system. Oracle was seeking approximately $9 billion in damages from Google.

Back In Court: Ever since it was founded, Oracle and its chairman, Larry Ellison, have always enjoyed a good fight. Whether it was against Microsoft, Sun Microsystems (which Oracle eventually acquired for more than $7 billion), or Salesforce.com, Oracle doesn’t back down when it thinks someone has done it wrong.

And that goes for when it has already lost a fight, too.

On Thursday, Oracle was back in court, taking on Google in the first round of appealing a 2016 ruling involving Google using parts of Oracle’s Java programming language in its Android operating system. Oracle had gone to court seeking up to $9 billion in recompense from Google. However, last year, a court found that Google’s use of Java in its Android operating system was considered to be legal.

Needless to say, Oracle wasn’t happy about that. Hence, Oracle’s appeal, which kicked off Thursday. The case is likely to continue for weeks before a decision is reached.

Nothing Neutral Here: Several advocates who support the net neutrality standards put in place during the Obama administration are preparing to go beyond just protesting the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to put an end to net neutrality. With the FCC set to start gutting net neutrality next week, some industry support groups are said to be considering suing the FCC to, at the very least, put a stay in place to keep the commission from killing net neutrality outright.

Rex Crum is the senior web editor for the business section for The Mercury News and Bay Area News Group. He also writes about business and technology for the publications' print and web editions, and has covered business and technology for nearly two decades. A native of Seattle, he remains a diehard Seahawks and Mariners fan and is imparting his fandom to his Oakland-native wife and two young daughters.